new-site/docs/foreign-qualification-fees.md

2.5 KiB

Foreign LLC/Corp Qualification Fees by State

One-time filing fees + annual requirements for foreign entity registration. Used by the new carrier wizard to estimate costs when forming in Wyoming.

Initial Filing Fees (One-Time)

State Fee State Fee State Fee
AL $150 KY $90 ND $135
AK $350 LA $150 OH $99
AZ $150 ME $250 OK $300
AR $300 MD $100 OR $275
CA $135 MA $500 PA $250
CO $100 MI $50 RI $150
CT $120 MN $205 SC $110
DE $200 MS $250 SD $765
FL $125 MO $50 TN $20
GA $225 MT $70 TX $750
HI $50 NE $120 UT $70
ID $120 NV $75 VT $125
IL $150 NH $100 VA $100
IN $125 NJ $125 WA $200
IA $100 NM $100 DC $220
KS $165 NY $250 WV $150
NC $250 WI $100
WY $100

Average: $186 Cheapest: TN ($20), HI/MI/MO ($50) Most expensive: SD ($765), TX ($750), MA ($500)

Annual Requirements

States with NO annual report for foreign entities:

  • Arizona
  • New Mexico

States with notable annual costs:

  • California: $800/yr franchise tax (regardless of revenue) + $20 annual report
  • Texas: ~$0 (no franchise tax for <$2.47M revenue, public info report due May 15)
  • New York: Biennial report (every 2 years), $9
  • Delaware: $300/yr annual franchise tax for foreign entities
  • Massachusetts: $500 annual report

Most states: $50-$200/yr annual report fee

Key Takeaways for the Wizard

  1. Wyoming formation + foreign qual total cost depends heavily on operating state:

    • WY ($50 formation) + CA foreign qual ($135 + $800/yr) = expensive ongoing
    • WY ($50) + TX foreign qual ($750 one-time, ~$0/yr) = expensive upfront, cheap ongoing
    • WY ($50) + FL foreign qual ($125 + ~$139/yr) = moderate
    • WY ($50) + most states ($100-200 + $50-200/yr) = reasonable
  2. Don't recommend Wyoming for CA-based carriers unless they understand the $800/yr CA franchise tax

  3. Best states for WY foreign qual: states with low filing fee AND low annual cost (TN, MO, HI, MI, UT, MT, NV)

  4. Worst states for WY foreign qual: CA ($800/yr), MA ($500), SD ($765 filing), TX ($750 filing)

Our Pricing

  • Foreign Qualification filing: $149 (our service fee)
  • Registered Agent per state: $99/yr
  • Total to carrier: $149 + state fee + $99/yr RA per state